Chapter 36 – The Fury of a Second Father
"No, run!"
Because of his Spirit Eyes martial soul, Huo Yuhao noticed Ma Xiaotao's dangerous state before Wang Dong did.
Though Wang Dong didn't initially understand, as soon as Huo Yuhao activated his first soul skill—Vision Sharing—she instantly saw the situation through his eyes. Without hesitation, she grabbed Huo Yuhao and turned to flee.
But Wang Dong was only a second-ring Soul Grandmaster, and with Huo Yuhao—who not only lacked the ability to aid her speed but also added to her burden—they had no chance of escaping the pursuit of the crazed Ma Xiaotao.
As Ma Xiaotao rapidly closed the distance, fiery energy erupted from her body and surged toward them. Without a soul skill like Spiritual Shock to slow her down, the two were completely helpless. Flames licked at their backs, scorching their clothes.
Fortunately…
Huo Yuhao was still the son of destiny, and fate wouldn't allow him to die so easily. Just as the fire touched their clothes, a thunderous roar shook Ma Xiaotao, throwing her off balance and sending her crashing backward.
"Don't even think about hurting my Xiaodong!"
Thanks to the time difference between the God Realm and the Douluo World, Er Ming—the Titan Giant Ape—had just arrived at Shrek Academy, following Tang San's orders to check on Huo Yuhao.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Ma Xiaotao attacking both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er. Without a moment's hesitation, Er Ming roared, forcefully repelling Ma Xiaotao, and rushed to Wang Dong'er's side. A gentle wave of his palm extinguished the flames on her clothes.
He then turned his gaze toward Huo Yuhao—eyes filled with thinly veiled hostility.
"Second Dad, help Yuhao! He's still burning!"
"Humph." With a cold snort, Er Ming slapped the fire off Huo Yuhao's body with a heavy palm. But whether intentionally or not, the force of the slap was too much—sending Huo Yuhao flying and crashing to the ground.
"Yuhao!"
Seeing the burns on Huo Yuhao's back, Wang Dong'er was visibly upset. She glared at her second father. She had a strong feeling that he had been deliberately late, allowing Huo Yuhao to get hurt.
Er Ming, unable to meet her gaze, silently turned away. He had done it on purpose. Whenever he thought about how Huo Yuhao would one day "steal" his precious little princess, he couldn't help but feel irritated.
This incident proved it—Huo Yuhao had failed to protect Wang Dong'er during a real crisis. And that only worsened Er Ming's opinion of him.
After making sure Wang Dong'er was safe, Er Ming shifted his gaze back to Ma Xiaotao, the root of the chaos. He hadn't used his full strength earlier for fear of harming Wang Dong'er. But now that she was no longer in danger…
"You dare to hurt my Xiaodong? Die!"
Er Ming punched forward. It was a seemingly simple strike, but backed by his overwhelming strength as a peak-level Rank 98 beast, even a Titled Douluo wouldn't escape unscathed. One hit could mean death.
Ma Xiaotao's eyes widened in fear—this was the end.
But this was Shrek Academy, after all. Even if most of its people were unreliable, it still had someone capable.
At the critical moment, a gentle thread of soul power pulled Ma Xiaotao aside, narrowly avoiding the devastating punch.
Er Ming's eyes narrowed. He turned toward the source—a hunched, elderly man with no apparent aura. Yet, the precision and efficiency with which he used his soul power to move Ma Xiaotao were enough to tell Er Ming that this old man was not ordinary.
In fact, he had to be someone high-ranking—most likely the current leader of the Sea God Pavilion.
The old man, Moon, slowly returned to his recliner and said nothing further. He had merely used a trace of soul power to resolve the crisis without harming himself. If he truly fought Er Ming, he might win—but he doubted he'd live longer than two days afterward.
"I am Xuanzi, the Deputy Leader of the Sea God Pavilion. May I ask who you are, senior?"
"I am Titan, Deputy Leader of the Clear Sky Sect."
The moment those three words—Clear Sky Sect—left Er Ming's lips, a visible tremor ran through Xuanzi and the others present. Though they quickly regained composure, they knew this wasn't a faction to be trifled with.
"So it turns out… you're from the line of Lord Tang San," Xuanzi said gently.
"This is all a misunderstanding. A terrible one. On behalf of my disciple, I, Yan Shaozhe, offer our sincerest apologies to you and your sect."
"Humph," Er Ming grunted, though the hostility in his tone eased slightly.
"If I may speak further…" Yan Shaozhe was sweating under the pressure. Inwardly, he cursed Ma Xiaotao for creating this mess. Of all people to attack, she chose someone from the Clear Sky Sect—second only to the Sea God Pavilion in terms of strength.
Had Ma Xiaotao succeeded in killing Huo Yuhao, Shrek might have faced complete disaster.
"Let's go. You'd better give me a satisfying explanation," Er Ming said coldly.
After comforting Wang Dong'er, he followed Xuanzi and the others into the Sea God Pavilion.
Though Xuanzi could not defeat Er Ming outright, being also a Rank 98 powerhouse meant he could at least act as a deterrent. Yan Shaozhe, however, would be responsible for smoothing things over—since Ma Xiaotao was his student, and both Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong'er were technically under his care.
Once they were seated, Yan Shaozhe walked forward with a smile and bowed deeply.
"Senior, this matter is undoubtedly Shrek's fault. We are willing to offer compensation."
He presented two jade boxes. As he opened them, two glows—one gold, one icy blue—pulsed from within.
"These are a 50,000-year Light Horse left leg bone, and a 50,000-year Ice Wolf right arm bone. Consider them our apology for harming your sect's genius. One soul bone each for the two of them. I hope this is acceptable."
Despite his composed tone, pain was visible on Yan Shaozhe's face. These weren't minor gifts.
But Er Ming's brows furrowed.
"One each? That means one for Huo Yuhao?"
The mere thought that Huo Yuhao would benefit from this infuriated him.
"No need! What do I want with your soul bones?"
Er Ming snorted with disdain. "Do you think the Clear Sky Sect lacks soul bones? If Xiaodong wants them, we have plenty to offer. Take them back."
"Then… may I ask what form of compensation you would prefer?" Yan Shaozhe asked cautiously, already sensing things spiraling beyond his control.
But to his surprise, Er Ming suddenly calmed down.
After a moment of internal conflict, he sighed and said, "After thinking it over, I was a bit rash with that punch. I nearly killed your student. That was my mistake too."
"Now that Xiaodong is unharmed, and your students are alive, let's just forget this ever happened. I'm not an unreasonable person."
"…Huh???"
Even Yan Shaozhe was stunned by the abrupt change of heart.